Apple Again The Second Most Valuable Publicly Traded Company in the World

macrumors bot

Back in August 2011, Apple first passed Exxon Mobil as the most valuable publicly traded company in the world. Both companies have risen in value since, but Apple's recent slide has allowed Exxon Mobil to again regain its position at the top of the corporate world.

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In the 17 months since Apple passed Exxon Mobil, XOM's stock is up some 27%, while AAPL has risen roughly 18%. Today, however, Apple has set a new 52-week low, while Exxon is matching its 52-week high set last September.

Currently, Apple's stock price is at $441.11 with a market capitalization of $414.28 billion. Exxon Mobil is at $91.43 with a market cap of $416.86 billion.

In Apple's most recent quarter, the company generated $13.08 billion in profit on $54.51 billion in sales, with 72,800 employees. Exxon Mobil generated $9.93 billion in profit on $115.71 billion in revenue with 82,100 employees.

macrumors member

It's freaking killing me that I bought at $605. I'm not selling (this is a long-term investment), but it's a little soul-crushing watching the stock keep dropping. It'll come back up, though, but it's hard to take right now.

macrumors 6502a

I don't think this is that big of a deal as many of you are making this out to be. Further, I wouldn't blame Tim Cook either. He has done a great job and if it wasn't for him, Apple would not have all the cash they have in the bank. On that point, having all that cash is good for Apple especially in situations like these. They have the money to push forward, whether they want to innovate in new areas or in the current ones they have.

During the earnings call, it was clear that production costs have not lowered for Apple and they did introduce new products across the line for the most part. While not innovative and not that much different from the predecessors, they still cost more to make.

However, I do think and hope that Apple innovates at a faster pace. Their business model that was working for the last 4 years is not going to cut it. With competitors like Samsung catching and and, in certain areas, surpassing Apple's products, Apple may start feeling like it is between a rock and a hard place.

macrumors 6502a

What I find most interesting in this article is that Apple made over $3 BILLION more than Exxon, but their sales revenue is roughly HALF of what Exxon had to take in. I mean, we NEED gas. I can operate without my Macs.

macrumors 6502a

macrumors 6502a

All good things must come to an end. As much as I love Apple, they were at their most innovative between 2001 and 2004. Thats when Apple was really at its greatest with the iPods, iMac G4, PowerBooks etc.

Now they've become a bit too commercial, I liked them more when they were considered a lil bit alternative.

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